


beginners' bonus scenes

by skeleton_jay



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/F, Gen, KORRASAMI TRASHCAN VOLUME 1, Korrasami - Freeform, im so sorry, korrasami university au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-05
Updated: 2015-03-17
Packaged: 2018-03-10 15:46:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3295925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skeleton_jay/pseuds/skeleton_jay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>korrasami university au deleted scenes</p><p>[co-written by Cole (siimulacra.tumblr.com) & Jean (imagine-some-gays.tumblr.com)]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. every jaw drops when she's in those jeans

**Author's Note:**

  * For [possibilist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/possibilist/gifts).



> this is a landfill commissioned by trash captain possibilist. deleted scenes are korrasami uni au canon.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> korrasami university au deleted scenes
> 
> volume 1: korra & asami are Very Nervous
> 
> [co-written by Cole (siimulacra.tumblr.com) & Jean (imagine-some-gays.tumblr.com)]

Okay so you know it’s stupid and whatever, and it’s just a piece of cotton and it doesn’t actually say anything about you and you’ve never really cared about all that anyway, but—you’ve changed your t-shirt three times in the fourteen minutes since you got out of the shower. And, really, the only difference is varying shades of blue.  But—Asami is _so pretty_ , and she always looks so cool, and she has _tattoos_ and her hair is actually a shampoo commercial.  So yeah, you’re putting effort into this decision because maybe Asami likes navy blue more than midnight blue.

            You’re like, _really_ nervous, and you don’t know why, so you plug your iPod into Jinora’s dock and queue your work out playlist.  The best idea, you think, would be to punch-dance these nerves out, so you assume the position as N*Sync starts.  You don’t close your eyes because you don’t want Another Incident—your RA gave you a very serious warning about knees through drywall, and also that _hurt_ —so instead you focus very hard on the doorknob while you aggressively punch the air rhythmically.

            The second chorus is winding down when Jinora finally joins you, falling in sync with your movements fairly quickly.  After the song, she high fives you and then goes back to her reading with a ‘don’t be late, Hot Rod.’  You spare her but a nod, because Fall Out Boy is here and you are _ready_.

           

            You end up in an old pair of worn skinny jeans and your scuffed Toms, the darker blue t-shirt.  Your hair is tossed into a toque because you were too nervous to try to force it into a ponytail; Asami’s hair is probably magic, and next to hers yours looks like you cut it with rocks, so. Halfway out the door you catch your hand on the doorframe and whip around, startling Jinora at her desk.

            “Wait!” She shuts her book and gives you A Look.

            “Yes, Korra?” she folds her hands in her lap, leans forward.

            “I—um, do I, like—do I smell okay?” and you step back into the room with your arms kind of raised, gesturing for Jinora to smell you, preferably with dedication rather than just placating you.  It’s just—Asami Sato smells _so good_ , like smoke and lavender and rain.  You don’t want to show up to your tutor smelling like sweat and mud.

            She rolls her eyes and pushes her chair across the floor to you, tugging the hem of your shirt to pull you down.  With a dramatic flourish she presses her face into your armpit and sniffs before spinning you around and smelling the other.

            “Ya smell good, kid,” she informs you, patting your ass.  “Now go; you don’t keep _Asami Sato_ waiting, Korra,” so you ruffle her hair and sprint out the door.

 

 //

 

So Asami has started sending you cool songs for you to listen to; you got kind of weirded out by tUnE yArDs, because they sounded like they had an idea and then got distracted and tripped onto all the instruments and then recorded it, but you really liked this girl called BANKS, and this rapper guy Mykki Blanco.  He was cool.  You tried sending her songs too, but you’re pretty sure she knew them all already and was just too polite to say anything.  You thought Tame Antelope was pretty hipster, but you suppose: so is Asami.  She has an _undercut_.

            You’re listening to this song she sent you called ‘Yungrhymeassassin’—it’s all one word, which seems to be a Cool Thing for singers to do—and you’re pretty sure it could be one of your Let’s Get Aggressive songs for soccer. Asami should know how she’s inspiring you, so you pull out your phone and shoot her a text.

 

**Korra (6:02 am):** _Hey! I’m listening to that rapper boy you showed me_

**Korra (6:02 am):** _He’s totally gonna be my new aggressive song!! :)_

**Korra (6:03 am):** _Thanks!!!_

**Korra (6:13 am):** _Also good morning!! Have a good day!_

 

//

 

You should just do it.  What’s the worst that could happen?

            She could say no.  That would be pretty bad. It’s not like you’re not used to eating alone; you went to high school pretty young, and being Asami Sato kind of kept people at a distance.  But you really like Korra; she’s sweet and funny and she makes you feel like you aren’t Asami Sato but instead just some regular university student without a multimillion dollar company as an inheritance.

            You should do it.  Just send her a text.

            You half-write it, but then you remember your eyebrows are savage and you haven’t combed your hair.  Tripping over a bottle on the floor by the couch, you dash into your room and sit at the vanity. This is An Unacceptable Situation, and while you’re here you should really do something about the state of your skin; exfoliation is very important, and you’ve been lagging. You don’t want Korra to look at your face and realize you are a lizard part-time.

            Once your eyebrows are tame and your hair shiny, you grab your phone and struggle over a text that sounds casual and carefree, but also not cold or indifferent. You need it to have the right kind of nonchalance, because you really want to see Korra outside of math, but you don’t want to crowd her.  You don’t want her to leave.

 

**Asami (11:34 am):** _hey so my lecture got cancelled, any chance you can meet for lunch?_

This was a MISTAKE you should have just left it alone. You shouldn’t have gotten so eager, because now you’re probably bothering her and she’ll think you’re some sort of math trash with no friends—

 

**Korra (12:01 pm):** _Cool!  Where should I meet you? Class just got out :)_

           

Oh no.  You haven’t even considered what you’re going to wear.  And those bags under your eyes are _atrocious_ ; you should’ve have fallen asleep at your desk last night. And what do you wear that says “Hey I’m pretty laid back and cool but I can also get down to business and construct hearts?”  You want to give an impression so Korra might want to do this again.

            You try on three different tops and six bottoms before you decide on a black skirt and flowy black tank.  You put on your lacy bra because—there is nothing wrong with wearing saucy underwear, and you _need_ this support today. You are fierce underneath your clothes; your little secret.  You need this.

            The vanity lights really bring out the worst in your brows; you go over them again, giving yourself a gentle pep talk.  You constantly ask yourself: what would Nicki Minaj do? You don’t know her, personally, but you trust her, and you’re pretty sure she’d, first of all, not be terrified. So you take a deep breath, sing a verse of ‘Trini Dem Girls” under your breath, then grab your leather jacket and helmet and strut out the door. 

 

//

 

One of your favourite parts of soccer is the warm-up. You’ve been playing since you were a kid, so you have the pregame warm-up basically down to a science.

            It goes like this: you pull your socks over your shin pads, lace your cleats, pull your hair into a pony tail—three loops of the blue hair tie—and then It Is Time.  You save putting your jersey on for last, because firstly it restricts some very key movements, and secondly you can’t get blood on it right before a game again. Tenzin was not happy last time, and disappointing him feels like if you were a hamster that went to kiss its babies good morning only to find that some time in the night your hamster baby daddy had eaten the hearts of your young.

Your teammates know the drill by now, so they leave quite a bit of space around you. The old stereo sits on the bench beside your cubby, and you give Jenna a grin before hitting ‘play’ exuberantly. This song has been your pump up song since you were twelve, at sleep-away soccer camp.  This girl, Mariko, used to listen to it when you went for 6 minute miles, and she _always_ made it in the six minutes.  So that’s when you decided that it was A Lucky Song and therefore should be played _forcefully_ before every game.

‘Potential Break Up Song’ starts and you drop to the floor, holding your hand over your head with the other on the floor.  Mouthing the words, you sweep your left leg out in front of you and hop up, sliding to the right and then the left.  Jenna didn’t move, so you slide into her and maneuver her arms into the Macarena. It always starts structured, but then the pre chorus comes, and you can’t stop your arms from doing the flailing thing, and then you mostly just want to jump a bit and swing your shoulders akimbo. The girls start their clapping that signals the crescendo, so you jump on the bench and do a 360 off it, dropping into a barrel roll and jumping back up with a reaching fist pump.

After the initial choreography it usually devolves into moshing and hip thrusting. But it gets you amped and you’re almost 100% sure it’s a good luck charm, so you’re committing to it.

 

//

 

You don’t want Korra to know what trash you are, so you hide your Angel Haze and Brooke Candy albums behind a Lana vinyl and an original Cranberries vinyl from 1994.  You’re almost certain Korra wouldn’t know who Brooke Candy—or the Cranberries, alternatively—is, but you don’t want to take the chance.

            Korra is going to see your house.  You’re nervous, so you pour yourself a glass of McClelland and sit on the couch, pulling your hair up and throwing on your glasses.  At times like these you turn to someone you know wouldn’t ever steer you wrong: Leslie Knope.  She always has such a good attitude, and you should start thinking like that. That would be nice.

            So Korra is going to see your house—whatever!  So she’s going to be sitting on this couch, looking at you with her big blue eyes—so what!  So she’s going to be all cute and casual, probably in her Toms and a blue sweater, probably sleepy and warm from practice—who cares! 

            You order two pizzas and pull out your vintage Chardonnay. You double check your eyebrows and moisturize, and then you change into your comfy v-neck t-shirt—it says “I Am Casual And Calm” but it also says “I Know How To Let Loose,” but it _also_ says “I Woke Up Like This,” so you think it’s okay.

            Korra calls you and you take a deep breath before she knocks—you’re pretty sure it’s the Star Wars dirge—and you open the door. 

 

//

 

You may want to kiss Just Asami, but _wow_ do you want to, like, _bang_ Asami Sato.  She was on a conference call when you woke up, her hair in a bun and her glasses on, white v-neck falling off her shoulder, and by all means she looked, like, super chill. But her _voice_ —something happened there and it is An Issue for you right now. It’s authoritative, and it makes you want to do literally anything she says. You want to kiss her but you also want her to kiss _you_. Or _tell_ you to kiss her.  Or, like, pull your hair and drag your mouth to hers and—you don’t even know, this whole bisexuality thing is new to you and you’re still trying to figure out You, but Asami Sato: Business Mogul is—it’s A Thing You Are Surprisingly Into.

            You have a feeling there’s going to be a lot of these situations arising in your future, so you roll out of bed heavily and head straight to the bathroom. Regroup.  Maybe think about Tenzin’s disappointed face, or watching people eat on public transit.

            When you come out, Asami is sitting on the kitchen counter eating an apple. Her feet are swinging and she’s humming something under her breath.  Something swoops a bit in your tummy; you hop up next to her and steal her apple, ask her what she’s singing.  She blushes and mutters something, but you don’t hear her so you nudge her shoulder with yours.

            “I said ‘Kitty Pryde,’” she huffs, her cheeks still kind of pink. You have no idea what that is, but if Asami is blushing it’s probably hilarious, so you ask her to sing it for you.

            Asami chews on her lip for a moment before sighing heavily and _rapping_ for three minutes and thirty-four seconds. You fall off the counter.


	2. i'm taking a mental picture of you now (we have so much to feel good about)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> korrasami university au deleted scenes
> 
> volume 2: korra and asami are so into each other that it's kind of embarrassing
> 
> [co-written by Jean (imagine-some-gays.tumblr.com) & Cole (siimulacra.tumblr.com)]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For and commissioned by possibilist. deleted scenes are korrasami uni au canon.

You try to breathe cleanly, keep your back straight and head held aloft, but then you feel a strand of loose hair tickling at your nose so you purse your lips and start blowing puffs of air upwards, huffing when you feel it land back exactly where it was.

Tenzin coughs a little pointedly, and you grin apologetically, because you know that these meditation sessions are usually only effective up until someone starts fidgeting. 

Speaking of which, you really can't help yourself when you reach around to scratch the base of your spine – in your head, you hear Tenzin intoning, 'increased blood flow' – and accidentally elbow the girl on your right, and judging by the ' _oof'_ she lets out.

So turns out Tenzin had been right about sitting with more space between everyone.

You hear Tenzin reminding everyone to press the soles of their shoes into the soft ground, and you smile slightly, remembering the way Asami had yelped when you'd flicked some stray mud off your sports bag onto her arm. 

You know you're supposed to be trying to maintain your focus on absolutely nothing, but all you can think about is how pretty Asami is. Especially when she laughs at you doing shit like shoving the rest of your pizza crust into your mouth, or trying to lick tomato paste off your elbow - you know you're not elegant the way she is, and you only care sometimes because other people seem to - but her laugh is sweet and kind and affectionate, and you really like that you get to make her laugh.

You copy Tenzin as he bends forward into a low stretch, head pulled forward, hands behind your back, and you kind of blink rapidly because you suddenly think about Asami stretching in the coffee shop pops into your head. You breathe out slowly, thinking about the way her ribs arched out slightly under smooth skin, accentuating her chrysanthemum tattoo. You absently wonder if she has any tattoos on her hip – the cut-out sides of her shirt hadn't dropped that low – and you kind of hope you can find out soon.

Your meditation session goes by quicker than it usually does, but you think that it might actually be working, because you feel a bit lighter on your feet that morning. At the end of practice, Tenzin nods at you and tells you he’s impressed by the way you'd moved today, and you're pleased, because you know it's something you've needed to work harder at. 

It’s kind of funny though, because off the field you’re pretty clumsy; you’d nearly taken Asami down into a face-plant when you’d tripped over some gravel while she was walking you to class, her arm around yours.

You’re wrapped in your towel and still dripping water onto the carpet in your dorm after you shower, but you check your phone anyway, which makes Jinora rolls her eyes, and you can’t help grinning when you see that there are two messages from Asami waiting for you.

/

You’re having a really,  _really_  good day – you’d spent most of it with Asami at the racetrack, which,  _wow_ , and she’s laughed a lot and looking at you in a way that makes your heart beat deliciously fast – but you’re a little worried that you’ve ruined it when Asami sees you looking at the script on the underside of her arm. It’s pretty and simple against her skin and you don’t know what it means, although it makes you catch your breath a little anyway, but when she catches your glance, a brief, downcast look flashes over her face.

Asami sits a little straighter and chews her lip briefly, but then she tells you quietly about her dad, about being bisexual, about being so justifiably angry.

Your chest aches for her, because you remember how supportive Jinora was, and Asami didn’t get that at all. You really want to give her a hug, but instead you just gently take her hand and tangle your fingers together.

She looks away slightly, and you think her eyes are wet, so you focus on brushing your thumb over her knuckles, marvel at how soft her skin feels.

You have to let go when the food arrives, and when she shares your milkshake with you, she gets Oreo in her teeth, which you didn’t really think was possible, because she’s Asami and she’s so  _poised_  all the time, so this is kind of cute.

And then you remember that besides this,  _Asami is bisexual_ , and then you have to hastily wipe ketchup from the corner of your mouth with your thumb, because you’d taken a very excited bite that doesn’t completely fit inside your mouth.

When you ask for the bill, you sort of feel yourself swell a bit because Asami thanks you for dinner – you haven’t had the opportunity to do this a lot when you were younger, and with Mako you’d usually gone halfsies, and you know it’s a bit silly, but you're kind of pleased with yourself.

Asami adds her part to the tip, but she doesn’t make any kind of fuss over it at all, so you don’t either, and when Teddy grins at you with a thumbs-up sign as you leave, you’re kind of glad Asami did it.

You’re quiet in the car on the way back to Asami’s, and you feel a little nervous, because you really want to tell her, and you know she’s not going to react badly, and you’ve already said the words ‘ _I’m bisexual_ ’ out loud before, so it shouldn’t feel this scary, but as Asami makes a quick, smooth turn into her parking lot, you regret finishing the Oreo milkshake as quickly as you had.

But then – Asami is sweet and at ease, and she’s smiles encouragingly at you in a way that makes you feel so  _bright_ , but also incredibly sad.

You haven’t come out to a lot of people yet, but you can already hear your parents’ voices in your head telling you how much they love you and support every part of your identity, so you've got all the important people in your life accounted for.

You think about Asami’s dad, about hatred and ignorance, about how no one, but especially not Asami, should ever feel less than absolutely loved for who they are, for who they love.

You apologise to her, and you’re not totally sure why or for whom, but you think she deserves the words more than anyone else you know.

/

The decision really shouldn’t be this hard to make.

You stare glumly at your desk, fiddle with the scissors again and then groan, put it back into your drawer.

 _You’re Asami Sato_ , you remind yourself, and under normal circumstances, it would mean that you wouldn’t even need to think about whether wrapping a present was appropriate, but this one’s for  _Korra_  – although, you remind yourself, it’s not a present, you just need someone to test out the new design, and who better to ask to test out sound-cancellation-in-motion-headphones than Korra, who’s almost always in motion and whose opinion you trust – and you’re honestly confounded about whether you should wrap the headphones you plan on giving her or not.

You glance at your watch and sigh, tuck the headphones back into the small leather drawstring pouch it came in and carefully put it in the inside pocket of your tote bag.

The black wrapping paper embossed with dark red nonahedrons was probably a bit much for a not-present, anyway.

Plus, considering the number of times you half-pulled the headphones out of your bag while at the coffee shop, you think that, had you decided to wrap them, the paper would’ve gotten really crumpled, and you didn’t want Korra to think you were giving her trash, so it kind of worked out.

You realise later that night that you’d actually pulled the headphones out of the pouch because you wanted to show Korra the headphones first, and then you’d gotten distracted by Korra stretching, and then you’d left the pouch in your bag.

You carefully tuck it under the glasses case on your desk, remind yourself to give to Korra after you’re back from Republic City. Then you stay slumped in your chair for a while, which you know is terrible for your posture, but eventually you sit up and collect the rest of the folders you need for your meeting.

(Later, you’ll dig your nails hard into your palms and hold on tightly to the image of Korra smiling sweetly up at you, headphones half-dangling out of her jeans pocket, but for now you’re Asami Sato, head of Sato Industries’ Synthetics Department, and you're running through your agenda for the meeting you're supposed to be presiding over alone.)

/

It’s not your fault that your knee bounces really fast during the entire team meeting – it’s Asami’s fault, actually, because you’d left her 12 minutes ago and you can still feel her teeth against your bottom lip.

And then someone coughs loudly, and when you look up, everyone’s looking at you, and you’re pretty sure someone sniggers.

“I said, Korra, when did you start wearing lipstick? It looks good,” Jenna smirks at you, and you’re pretty sure your face goes completely red, because your neck feels  _warm_. You still lick your lip though, and yep – lipstick – which makes your teammates laugh, and Jenna winks at you, flashing you a thumbs-up.

But there’s only a quick rumble of chuckles that goes around before they keep going with the meeting, and you actually focus this time, mostly.

(The way Asami had sighed into your mouth makes your heart beat a little faster, but you’re paying enough attention to be able to chime in with your availabilities for the week when there’s a lull in the room and Emma nudges you gently.)

You get a couple of high-fives when you run out the door at the end of the meeting, which makes you laugh, because, yeah, you've got awesome teammates, but you’re pretty sure your face is still a little flushed, and you  _definitely_  need to be away from being in public.

You nearly bowl Jinora over when you burst into your dorm, and you’re very briefly miffed, because you've just remembered that you have a roommate, and you don’t really like using the showers for Korra Time, but whatever, it means you get to tell someone that you kissed Asami.

Except then Jinora hoists up a barrel bag on her shoulder, and you remember that she's staying over at Kai's because they're driving to her out of state championship together in the morning. 

Well then.

You wish Jinora good luck and she hugs you goodbye, and you sort of usher her out the door, because by this point you're practically buzzing with excitement. You swear your lips still feel tingly, and you definitely still feel completely exhilarated, and all you want to be doing right then is touching Asami’s face.

You flop onto your messily made bedspread, groan a little into it, then flip onto your back, and you’re pretty sure you’re absolutely  _beaming_ , which is a bit embarrassing, but you’d kissed Asami Sato, who, unsurprisingly, is a completely  _gorgeous_  kisser, who also, judging by the way she’d fisted her hands in the hem of your shirt, really enjoys making your moan into her mouth.

Speaking of – you glance at the door, hop up and quickly lock it.

You tug your t-shirt off and push your sweatpants down to your ankles, throw yourself back onto your bed.

You close your eyes and go back to thinking about kissing Asami, and you still can't really stop smiling, because you know you’re going to get to kiss her again.

But then you slide your hand over your abdomen, press lightly at your hip, think about Asami straddling you, about her hands on your skin, and you tug at the waistband of your underwear, groan at how wet you are.

Idly, you think that this might become A Problem in the long run, because all you’ve done so far is  _kiss_  Asami and you're a wreck, but right now, you just curl two of your fingers inside yourself with a whimper, tug at your hair with your other hand.

You come hard and fast with a mumbled, “ _Fuck_ ”, but then you push your sweatpants and your underwear off properly, fling your bra to the floor, and you come a second time – slower, longer – to an image of Asami’s tongue flicking at your nipple, her eyes trained on yours, her hand between your legs.

You’re blissed out and panting lightly when you frown, because you realise that you haven’t checked with her about whether she’s comfortable with you doing this, and then you remember the way she kissed you, and you think she’ll  _probably_  be fine with it.

But then your phone buzzes on the floor, and you nearly roll off the bed to get it because  _shit_ , you told Asami that you’d call when you got back, and she probably thinks you’ve been murdered or something.

It’s actually a text from your dad with a link to something on 9GAG, which, you sigh, because you’d spent over 40 minutes explaining what memes were to him, and now he keeps sending you pictures of angry cats perched over cheeseburgers.

You’re still naked, and you can’t be bothered putting clothes on just yet, but you call Asami anyway.

You figure you might as well ask her about whether she’s okay with you masturbating while thinking about her right now, before you forget.


	3. but i fear i'm getting used to being held by you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> beginners deleted scenes vol. 3
> 
> in which googling is banned & asami is Sad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [co written by cole (siimulacra.tumblr.com) & Jean (imagine-some-gays.tumblr.com)]
> 
> these deleted scenes are canon.

You’ve never done this before, and it’s kind of scary, because Korra is probably the best human you’ve ever been lucky enough to meet, and—it’s really nice, having someone that makes you feel _real_ instead of just existing.  But Korra said she wants to be _exclusive,_ which is incredible in a lot of different ways because—Korra wants to be with _you_. Korra wants to kiss _you_ , Asami Sato.  And yeah, hearts are your thing, but like, you’ve never been sure if yours was good enough.  Korra makes you feel like maybe it is.  Maybe you are; maybe you’re good enough to love, maybe you’re good enough for Korra, and you really hope she stays.

 

//

 

You’d never really cared for sports. You loved the math behind them, but the actual game never interested you.  Obviously that was before you saw Korra playing soccer, because—wow?  There’s something so captivating about the way she plays, like she was born to do this; she’s so graceful, and _powerful_ , and you’re having a bit of A Situation, to be honest.

            Korra gave you her jersey to wear, and it smells like her, and your sign is clutched in your hands and your knuckles are white you’re holding it so hard. Korra looks _amazing_ out there.

            Something jabs into your side and you swat at it, turning to Jinora next to you. She’s smiling and laughing quietly, rolling her eyes.

            “I’ve been trying to get your attention for like, three minutes, Asami,” she tells you, and you blush.

            “Sorry, I—this game is pretty intense,” you mutter, waving the sign a little feebly.  Jinora laughs again. “What were you saying?”

            She smiles at you, “I asked what you’re doing after the game? Kai and I were going to grab some dinner, if you and Korra wanted to come?”

            You look back out at the field, and The Situation is not going away—actually, it’s becoming An Issue now.  This is new. “I—” you stammer, tearing your eyes from Korra for like two seconds to look at Jinora.  “I think Korra and I are just going to hang out at my apartment, get take out or something,” you manage.  Jinora laughs again, pats your knee.

            “Have fun, kiddo,” she tells you, and you blush again, duck your head. “Go Korra,” she says, raising your arm holding the sign higher.

 

//

 

Holy dyna.  _Holy. Dyna._ Asami is laying next to you, her head on your shoulder and her fingers tracing your collarbone. You’re pretty sure she’s listening to your heartbeat again; she does that a lot, just lies with her ear to your chest and a soft look on her face.  It makes your chest flutter—she’s so _beautiful,_ and kind, and gentle—well, usually gentle.  The bruises forming on your back and thighs obviously attest to a much rougher demeanor, but—usually.  You run your fingers through the shaved part of her head, humming a little when her nails drag down your throat.

            “Hey,” you whisper into her hair, and she tilts her head up to kiss your jaw.

            “Hi,” she mumbles into your skin, and you struggle very hard against the urge to just press her into the mattress again, but you do.

            “So,” you start, clearing your throat.  She stops kissing your neck and props herself up on her elbow. “We should probably—I mean, I know you said you were a virgin—” you wink at her and she rolls her eyes, “but we should still probably have the talk about, you know, previous partners, and STDs, and safe sex and consent and all that, right?”

            Asami runs a hand through your hair, huffs out a laugh.  “Korra, when I said I hadn’t done this before, I meant, like _any_ of this,” she tells you. “I just—I never really _wanted_ to kiss other people.  Until you,” she adds softly.

            Your stomach does a flippy thing at that, and you tug her down and kiss her hard.  “Cool,” you whisper into her mouth.  She kisses you deeper, but you pull back a bit and continue, “but I still think we should, you know, talk about safe sex and consent, now that previous partners are out of the way.”

            She groans in a disappointed way and you tickle her side.  “So, I mean, I obviously slept with Mako before, but like, we were always safe and there’s like, no issues there, so. Back to safe sex!”

            “Fine,” she huffs, flopping onto you and pressing her forehead into your neck.

            “I’ll start.  So I know for hetero sex it’s like, condoms and stuff, but like—do you know what a dental dam is?”

            You feel her laugh against your skin.  “I—” she starts, then stops.  You feel her forehead crinkle.  “No, actually. I mean, I understand the basics, but—what _is_ it?”

            “I don’t know!  I think I got one at the dentist  one time?”

            “ _Korra_ ,” she snorts, blowing a raspberry.  “You did _not;_ what kind of dentist do you even have?”

            “I have no idea, I haven’t been in like two years.”

            Asami pushes herself up again, looking absolutely _horrified._ “What.”

            Obviously you’ve done something wrong.  “I mean, it wasn’t a sexual thing!  They literally just put this trampoline thingy over my mouth and it felt really weird and it tasted gross, it was so _not hot_ , so.”

            She laughs again, before the appalled look is back.  “No, I mean you haven’t been to the dentist in _two years?”_ You shrug, giving her a crooked smile.  “ _Korra_.  I go twice a month.”

            “What? Why?  Do you have like, really bad teeth?  Are those dentures?”

            She smacks your shoulder.  “ _No I do not have dentures Korra,_ ” she hisses. “Oral hygiene is very important, is all.”

            “Okay,” you shrug again.  “So, dental dams: should we google it?”

            That was a bad idea.  Asami cringes and tells you she’s going to work on a design that looks less like a plastic bag, and also that you’re not allowed to google things anymore.

 

//

 

You _hate_ birthdays. You hate them. When you were younger, when your mom was still alive and not just some distant memory of comfort, you liked your birthday.  It was a whole day for you, and your dad was still there and he still loved you, and your mom would make you a cake.  And you were happy.

            You pour yourself another McClelland and light another cigarette. It’s pretty cold out on your balcony, but, really, the cold pricking your skin makes you feel less like a ghost, so you stay out on the balcony and you hold the smoke in your lungs long enough for it to hurt, exhale softly and watch the proof of your existence dissipate. Sometimes it’s hard to remember.

            You stub your cigarette out—some of the embers burn your finger, and you don’t brush them away—before you stumble back into your apartment and dig through your closet for the wrapped gift you had gotten for your mom. You had done this every birthday since she died—you did it when she was alive, and you didn’t think it was right for you to stop.  You had fourteen gifts for your mom, all wrapped, all stacked in your closet.  All unopened.

            You don’t really want to cry again, so you open your laptop and put on a playlist you made when you were thirteen.  It’s your Sad Girl playlist, but most of the songs are really outdated and you’ve certainly grown in your sadness.  You haven’t changed the playlist, though.

            The laptop sits precariously on the table on the balcony as you light another cigarette.  The smoke is starting to burn your throat, so you finish your scotch and pour another to soothe the burn. It doesn’t work, but you don’t mind. The bitter cold is stinging, the tear tracks on your face biting and desperate.  A shaky sob pulls at your chest and you press your face into your knees, breathe slowly through your nose. 

            You wish Korra was here, but you also don’t want Korra to know this part of you, because it’s dark and shadowy and your bones are ashy and fragile. You’re Asami Sato, though, so you hide it pretty well.

            The playlist is still playing softly, and as you take another slow drag a very familiar song starts playing.  You let out a snotty, self-pitying laugh and reach forward to skip it, but then—why not?  You’re already tragic enough; you turn it up and whisper the lyrics to yourself, louder and louder until you’re messily half-shouting Avril Lavigne into the night. The cigarette burns down to ash in your fingers and you’re crying and laughing all at once, flopping heavily back into your chair as the song peters out.     

            You wipe the tears from your face, smearing ash across your cheek, and then there’s a knock at your door.

 

//

 

You wake up to a loud snoring in your ear. Groggily lifting your head—and regretting it immediately—you open your eyes and find yourself half on top of Korra, her hair in your mouth.  Her head is lolling on the back of the couch and her mouth is wide open, and what sounds like a delicate chainsaw is rumbling out of her mouth.  A smile tugs at your lips before you realize how gross your mouth tastes, and your hair is probably a _mess_ , and you don’t even want to know how puffy your eyes are.

            You gently extract yourself from Korra, replacing yourself with a pillow so she doesn’t do that sad frown she does when you get up before her, and pad to the bathroom.  You reach for the ibuprofen beside the sink and dry swallow three before bracing yourself against the skin and looking in the mirror.

            This is an absolute _travesty._ Your eyes are red and puffy, your hair is a rats nest, and good _lord_ there is _ash_ on your _face._   You scramble in the cabinet for your exfoliant and soothing eye mask, splashing cold water on your face.  The cucumber mask in place, you go about fixing this tragedy of a hair situation.  It’s tangled and actually making you upset, so you toss it into a bun and sit on the toilet.

            Thirty minutes of calming cucumber and deep breathes, and you feel ready to leave the bathroom.  Korra is still asleep, sprawled out messily with the pillow between her legs. A very soft smile pulls at your lips, and you kiss her forehead before padding into the kitchen. Chocolate chip pancakes are the only thing that could begin the apology you feel like you owe Korra—now she knows what a fucking disaster you are, it’s the least you can do to indulge her unhealthy diet—and you wake her up with a stack of pancakes topped with a whipped cream smile.

            She kisses you sleepily, smearing the whipped cream across your nose and laughing at the horrified “Korra! I _just_ moisturized!” you squeak out.


	4. i think you hate the smell of smoke (you always try to get me to stop)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> korrasami university au deleted scenes
> 
> volume 4: in which jinora is your unproblematic fave, and korra really likes asami in one piece
> 
> [co-written by Jean (imagine-some-gays.tumblr.com) & Cole (siimulacra.tumblr.com)]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For and commissioned by possibilist. deleted scenes are korrasami uni au canon.

When Korra asks if you mind her also using your half of the dorm room to host Asami’s surprise party on Friday, you roll your eyes affectionately, because firstly – of course – and secondly, it’s not like Korra could fit everyone into just her half of the room.

But then Korra mumbles that Asami’s birthday was actually yesterday, and you’re kind of curious, but you just nod understandingly.

“Well, it’ll definitely be a surprise then, won’t it?” you say simply, already pulling out some paper to make a list of the things you’ll have to get ready in the next two days, and Korra smiles at you gratefully.

You shoot off a few messages to the group chat on Whatsapp, telling Kai, Bolin and Opal to prepare themselves for the wildest Friday night of their lives. Korra laughs from across the room, because she’s in the chat too, and she’d only told you two minutes ago about the party.

You pause for a second while clambering up to the top cupboard of your closet where you keep all your decorations and other assorted emergency supplies and look over at Korra, who’s lying on the bed holding her phone above her face and smiling in this dorky way that makes it really clear she’s texting Asami.

“Hey, remind me to add Asami to the group chat at the surprise party, yeah?” Because you’d kind of wanted to, and now you’re kind of glad you haven’t yet, but you want to.

Korra grins brilliantly at you, and you remember again how glad you are that she met Asami, because it wasn’t that Korra hadn’t been happy before, but she sort of  _settles_  into her own space more comfortably than she did before, and you’re really happy for her. You haven’t spent that much time with Asami, but she’d showed up at Korra’s last game and nearly dropped the onion rings she’d bought for Bolin into her bag because she was trying to hold up Korra’s sign and wave at you at the same time, so.

And then Korra starts laughing hysterically at some filthy rap song that you’re pretty sure Asami linked her to, and you can’t help smiling, because, yeah. They’re both weirdos, and they're fantastic for each other.

.

You try to get Kai and Korra to help you weave the maroon and navy ribbons into the cardboard ‘Happy Birthday’ you’re going to hang from the ceiling, but they look at you with these really confused expressions, and then Kai implies that he might accidentally rip them apart, and Korra jumps in, agreeing.

You sigh and point them towards the gold balloons, and it doesn’t surprise you at all when they get themselves involved in a competition – size, not quantity, apparently.

In between stapling the ribbons together, (Korra hadn’t exactly given you a ton of notice, so, whatever), you send a bunch of selfies from Korra’s phone of her and Asami to your email for later, and god – they’re  _disgustingly_  cute, but also, Asami looks a lot less intimidating when Korra has her in a headlock and her cheeks are puffed out at the camera.

Korra’s losing the ninth (and second last) round, her face incredibly red but her balloon quite clearly smaller than Kai’s, when you check your watch and remind her about the cake, and she upturns some glitter over Kai’s lap when she leaps up to run to the kitchen.

You snicker until Kai threatens to dump the glitter in your hair, at which point you help him collect as much of it as you can, but then you wipe it over his t-shirt anyway, and he yelps, lifting you up by the waist and twirling you across the room.

You end up with glitter in your hair, and later on, there’s a lot more scattered on the small pinboard covered in photos of Korra and Asami than you'd like, but it just makes the group photos you'd taken after Korra's games and at triple dates look kind of cheesy in the best way. And then you get Bolin to cut out ‘HAPPY 20TH ASAMI’ in white block lettering, and when all five of you stick post-its all over the board and write little notes to her, it really doesn’t look that bad.

There's a  _slight_ hitch when Korra nearly drops her cake though, because Asami  _shrieks_  when she walks in to pick Korra up for dinner and is instead greeted by several very excited people screaming at her to have a happy birthday.

But then she calms down and she looks kind of amazed and looks around at the decorations with this small, joyful smile on her face, and you don’t say anything, but you’re pretty sure she wipes at her eyes really quickly when Korra turns around to put the cake down.

And then she kisses Korra on the cheek and accepts a shot of vodka that Bolin holds up to her, throwing it back really smoothly and quickly.

It's a really good night though, and you nearly cry with laughter when Kai pulls up a ‘ _Daddy, why is mommy crying?_ ’ card, Asami plays ‘ _being marginalised’_  with the straightest face, but Korra throws down ‘ _poopy diapers’_  with an incredibly pleased look, and then they get into a ridiculous argument about whether  _scathing_  constitutes funny after Kai awards the point to Asami.

But then Korra chokes on her beer when Opal picks up ‘ _Man, this is bullshit. Fuck ___._ ’ and Asami, with this slightly scary look in her eyes, deliberately puts down a ‘ _my dad’s dumb fucking face’_  card, and for a weird second, the only sound in the room is The xx quietly playing on your speakers, but then Asami bursts into  _giggles_. You can’t help joining in, and Kai reaches out to fistbump her while Korra continues to cough weakly, and – yeah. Asami is kind of great, because she grabs Korra’s shirt and kisses her really hard on the cheek when Korra plays ‘ _A lifetime of sadness’_  to her ‘ _What did the US airdrop to the children of Afghanistant’_ , which makes Korra grin and shove at her lightly, mumbling, “Nerd.”

Asami wheezes you bring out the ‘Pin the Soccer Ball on Korra’ sheet you’d gotten Opal to help you print, because, courtesy of your status as roommate, you’d been there when Korra had flail-danced to Backstreet Boys in her pyjamas at 6 in the morning with her eyes closed, fists pumping the air. It’s not actually  _that_  funny – but you’ve all, especially Asami, had quite a lot of vodka, and Korra dropped to her knees, dramatically wailing her faux-horror at the sight of the poster before offering to re-enact the original scene, so.

When Kai slips his hand into yours and laughs into your hair at Opal trying to drag Bolin away from trying one last time to actually pin the soccer ball on Korra’s foot, you’re more than happy to walk home with him carrying this warm feeling in your chest.

You ruffle Korra’s hair lightly, and you have to laugh again, because Asami’s snuggled into Korra’s chest on her bed, breathing slowly, and she has three really badly done braids that she’d let Bolin try to do, and from what you know about Asami, she’s going to be Quite Concerned about them when she wakes up.

But for now, Korra’s smiling sleepily up at you, and Opal nearly has Bolin out the door, so you just grab your phone and your keys and turn off the lights. Standing in the doorway, you take Kai’s hand in one hand, blow Korra a kiss with the other, and close the door gently behind you.

/

 **Korra (5:08am):**  Had a dream about you last night ;)  
 **Korra (5:10am):** Okay it wasn’t actually sexy we were just watching frineds on the couch actually  
 **Korra (5:13am):** Friends*  
 **Korra (5:14am):** I’ll tell you the rest later I gotta go to practice. Tenzin ugh!!  
 **Korra (5.15am):**  If I draw a moustache on jinora while she’s asleep do you think tenzin will make practices later or earlier?  
 **Korra (5.19am):** See you later? <3  
 **Korra (8:32am):** Hey, I just finished and I’m SO HUNGRY. Are you up?? Do you want breakfast? I don’t have class till 11

.

You’re not really worried when Asami hasn’t texted back by the time you finish practice because it’s still pretty early, and you know she spends a good portion of her morning routine on her eyebrows, which requires an immense amount of concentration.

But then she still hasn’t replied by the time you finish your shower, and yeah, okay, you take really efficient showers, usually, but  _still_.

Jinora reminds you that it’s Wednesday, which sometimes means it’s Asami’s undercut touch-up day, and you slump into your chair and start grabbing handfuls of cereal from the box you have hidden in your drawer and shove them into your mouth, because you’re still really hungry, but you also don’t want Asami to be texting while she’s holding a razor to her own head.

When Asami still hasn’t texted you back by 9.30 though, you start regretting the cereal, because you feel a little sick, and you can’t really concentrate on your readings for English. Jinora ruffles your hair before she heads out to class, but it doesn’t make you feel that much better, because you get the feeling that Jinora’s a little worried too, and Jinora’s pretty much the most rational person you know, so if she’s worried, you think it’s probably reasonable to do the same.

But then at 9.43 your phone  _blasts_  the opening beat to Fergie’s ‘Glamorous’ –which you’d set as Asami’s ringtone after her surprise party, because she’d absolutely  _boogied_  really enthusiastically to the song while singing both parts at you, and you’d laughed hard through all four minutes before kissing her sloppily – and you grab at your phone, your heart pounding a little, taking a quick, deep breath before you answer.

Asami just breathily says  _hey_ , and you feel the relief pool in your gut, and your muscles unclench almost immediately, and – you feel kind of stupid for worrying, because of course she’s fine. But then you feel a little bit annoyed, because you’d spent 45 minutes trying to decide on whether texting her again might be construed as clingy after seven texts in a row she hadn’t responded to, but then you brush it off. Asami obviously didn’t mean to make you worry, and anyway, she called you instead of just texting back, and she’s asking you out to brunch, and she’s fine, so  _whatever_.

Brunch means going out though, which means you need to put actual clothes on, and like, your hair is a  _mess_  because you’d kept fiddling with it nervously, so you’re sort of flustered when someone knocks at your door.

You’re just about to laugh at Jinora for forgetting her keys when you realise Asami’s leaning against your doorjamb, and god, Asami Sato is the biggest dork you know, and she's  _yours_ , and you’re not entirely sure your heart should feel as big as it does, but hearts are kind of her thing, so you think you can probably ask her later.

You can’t really help it when you tug her into a brief kiss, run your hands through her hair, because yeah, all of her is in your doorway in one piece, and you’re actually really glad to see her, so you don’t say much about her motorcycle, or the fact that despite her gentle smile, there’s this deeply sad look in her eyes that you don't understand.

You're walking towards the diner and you're thinking about their pancakes when you slip your arm around her waist and slide your hand into her jacket pocket. It's supposed to be cute, but you frown and give her the side-eye, because there's something weird in her pocket, and then you pull out this Ziploc bag that looks like it has a few cigarette butts in it.

“Asami?” you ask, dangling the baggie in front of her face, and you swear, she  _blushes_  and grabs at it.

“I didn’t have anywhere to bin them properly,” she mumbles, tucking it into her inside pocket this time.

You try to pull it out again, to throw it into the trashcan outside your dorm building that you've just walked past, but she catches your hand, and she’s sort of rolling her eyes and trying not to laugh when she says, “I usually throw it away at home so that I can wash and reuse the bag, so just um, leave it there. Unless it like, grosses you out?”

You shake your head, but then you snicker, because a few days ago, she’d called herself a  _punk_.

.

 **Asami (10.58am):** korra i just found pancake on my butt why didn’t you tell me  
 **Korra (11.01am):** :)  
 **Korra (11.01am):** It was cute  
 **Korra (11.04am):** You’re cute


	5. then there's me inside a sinking boat running out of time (without you i'll never make it out alive)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> korrasami university au deleted scenes
> 
> volume 5: in which asami is Still Sad, korra is young & lovely, & everyone is drunk. holidays, am i right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [co-written by Cole (siimulacra.tumblr.com) & Jean (imagine-some-gays.tumblr.com)]
> 
> these deleted scenes are for & commissioned by possibilist. canon.
> 
> [i'm s o r r y this took so long but i'm an apathetic asshole]

Your palms have been stinging all day; it’s been this strange floaty ache that you can’t dull, despite smoking about 4 cigarettes in a row.  Not even Minecraft helped today, so you decide that cleaning up will maybe make your chest soften.

            You collect a couple wine bottles and used glasses, a plate Korra left on the floor, a spoon on the couch, before decided to sweep.  Reaching into the closet by the front door, you realize—you don’t have a broom.  Or a mop. You have one of those goofy Roombas, but only because you thought it was cute and also you wanted to fiddle with it; you had considered tweaking it to create a badass BattleBots robot with like blades and treaded tires.

            Regardless, cleaning is _useless_ so you tidy up your desk and then Korra is wrapping her arms around your waist. The thrumming in your wrists lessens.

            The playlist is so typically _Korra_ it makes you laugh, twinging something in your chest because she is so young and good.  You kiss her hard enough to bruise, bite her lip, but you want to feel all of her and you want to ache in ways that don’t shake because Korra is solid and real. She fucks you, all teeth and digging fingers because your palms are still aching and every mark she bruises into your skin is another reason you can feel throbbing against your chest.

            You never meant for this to happen, but you left the adorable playlist on and suddenly find yourself coming _hard_ to Taylor Swift, Korra smiling into your shoulder. 

            “Bed,” she murmurs, so you kiss her stupid little face and follow her.

            Her hair is a _mess_ , her eyes big and blue and you press your cold toes into her calves and laugh at her squeal. She hums quietly as you burrow your face into her neck, her fingers tracing the bite marks visible on your shoulder. You reach for her fingers, press them gently into the bruises, kiss her pulse point. 

            Korra’s heart beats steadily underneath you.

 

/

 

Sometimes you forget how frickin’ _huge_ Naga is, but then she careens down your driveway and barrels into you, sending you toppling into a snowbank.  You laugh and squirm away from her massive tongue, pushing on her head, but she nudges into you and slobbers on literally every inch of your face.

            “I think she missed you, kiddo,” your dad chuckles, retrieving your duffel from the snow.

            “Help.” Naga’s panting directly into your face and as much as you love her, it’s gross.  “Dad, help.  Free me.”

            He sighs and whistles for Naga.  You’re struggling to get out of the snowdrift and you’re almost out, snow all down your pants and in your boots, when your dad pushes you back down with a laugh and a “Constant vigilance, kiddo!”

            Your snowball goes wide.

 

Your whole family is over, laughing and drinking and eating _so much food_. Your uncle insists on arm wrestling your dad, and your little cousins have started building a blanket fort with your grandpa as a major support beam from his spot napping on the couch. Everything is so warm and nice and cozy; you just wish Asami could be there with you.  You know going to Republic City isn’t her favourite thing.

            You’re pulling out your phone to give her a quick call when your aunt holds up a tray of shots and challenges the family to charades.  You’ll call her later; you grab a shot and loop your arm with your mom, tossing the warm drink back with as much grace as you can manage. Your mom splutters and grimaces, looking horribly offended.

            “How could you do this to me?”  Her eyes are wide and actually pretty tragic, but you can’t help but laugh.

            “Absolutely not, mama bear,” you sling your arm around her neck, “this was your decision.  You are An Adult. Don’t blame your pathetic decrepit body’s inability to chill on me.”

            She pinches your side with a laugh, swatting at your bum as you scurry away. “Bring me a cider next time, Korra,” she calls after you.  “And stop calling me decrepit; I’m not even fifty.”

            You stick your tongue out at her as you head into the kitchen, draping yourself over your dad’s shoulders.  “Hi papa bear,” you mutter.  He turns around and heaves you over his shoulder, shouting _“sack of potatoes!”_ and spinning.  You slam your fists into his back and he laughs as your little cousins squeal in absolute _delight_ and cling to his legs. 

            Your dad crumbles to the floor and you escape, just as the tiny humans swarm him.

            And then your aunt hands you an apple cider, nudges you with her hip, winks at you. “So,” she starts, a slow grin spreading over her face, “I heard…things.”  Her eyebrows waggle.  “Asami Sato, hmm? Nice work, Kor.”

            Rolling your eyes, you nudge her back.  “Shut up.  Thanks. I—yeah.  Yeah.”  You fiddle with your mug, swirling the cider.  “She’s—auntie, she’s, like, _amazing_.”

            “I hear she’s quite smart.”

            You scoff, disbelief pulling your eyebrows tight.  “ _’Quite smart?’_ She built— _built_ , like herself—me a freaking laptop!  Casually!”  You take a sip of the cider.  “ _’Quite smart’…_ she is a genius and a saint. She is a beautiful sophisticated elegant clever swan, and she deserves at least nineteen hugs a day because sometimes she is also sad.”

            Your aunt has a very soft smile on her face; her hand squeezes your arm. “You’re so good, honey. Asami is lucky.”

            A blush is warming your neck.  You shrug and give her a crooked smile and she laughs and pats your cheek.

            “But maybe next time get Asami to teach you how to blend; that hickey is aggressive.”

 

You wake up hungover as _balls_ with Naga’s floppy behemoth head on your leg and a horrible taste in your mouth.  Glancing around, you realize you had apparently insisted on sleeping with your parents last night, because you’re currently squeezed in between them in—oh, brother. In your freakin’ panda onesie, the one with the fleece feeties.  You groan lowly, rub your eyes, roll sloppily over your dad.  A knee definitely slams into his stomach but honestly, you care more about water right now than his kidney.  Stumbling off the bed, you press your fists into your eyes and moan some more; Naga gets up panting and licks your hands.

            “I’m good, Naga,” you say.  Your voice is so deep and gravelly and actually it’s pretty hot, probably—you should call Asami right now to show her.  Searching the room for your phone, you slowly realize that you dad is wearing a matching onesie, complete with a hood and paws.

 

//

 

Opal is laughing at your stupid cute Roomba and Bolin is tossing chips on the floor for it to ‘feed’ on, making it slowly circle Jinora.  Korra is sitting on the counter, her shirt loose, sleeves rolled up, hair falling out, and you are struck with the overwhelming idea that someone this stunningly good and kind and lovely could be yours.  Could _want_ to be yours.

            You step in between her legs, press your forehead to her shoulder. She huffs a laugh against the shell of your ear and her arms rest heavy around your neck.    

            “Hey,” she smiles, crooked and soft.

            You whisper a _“hi”_ into her mouth, press your palms into her ribs, imagine all the cracks, paved over.

 

 _Why_ you let Bolin and Korra play gauntlet in your living room is beyond you. But Bolin had insisted: if the tradition in Republic City is to watch the ball drop, then you would watch the ball drop. 

            But of course, it’s Bolin and Korra.  Korra had tossed her soccer ball to Bolin and he had slammed it against the (beautiful) exposed brick of your living room while shouting “how my ass taste, Kobe,” and that had set Korra off, and then it just devolved into this shitshow featuring one bloody lip and a broken chair.

            You’re lying in the aftermath, Korra’s head in your lap, and looking around at the carnage you feel—soft.  You feel gentle, and young, and Kai is stuffing peanuts up Jinora’s nose, and Opal is braiding Bolin’s hair, and Jinora has her head on Korra’s tummy. And you feel safe.

            You put your drink down and brush Korra’s bangs from her face.

            “Love you, babe,” you tell her softly.

            A wonderfully sleepy grin tugs at her lips and she reaches up to trace your jaw. “Love you too, nerd.”


	6. we have seen some things; but we will sing, wash the blood off our knees

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> korrasami university au deleted scenes
> 
> volume 6: in which there’s a lot of love going around, and sometimes it’s hard, but it’s always good
> 
> [co-written by Jean (imagine-some-clexa.tumblr.com) & Cole (siimulacra.tumblr.com)]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For and commissioned by possibilist. deleted scenes are korrasami uni au canon.

“You’re such a dork,” you say, reaching out to tap Asami on the chin when she rushes over to open your door and offers you her hand. She smiles softly at you when you take it anyway, and you think she’s about to say something cheeky, but then she pulls you out, presses you up against her car and ghosts her fingers over your neck.

And then you shiver, because she whispers, “I wasn’t sure if your legs were quite ready to support you yet,” into your ear, and honestly, you’re not totally sure either. Also, you’re pretty sure you’re wet again, but you’re tired and sore in the best way possible, and dating Asami Sato is hard sometimes.

She kisses you quickly and then tugs you into the bar, and then Bolin tackles you in the biggest hug, and you’re pretty sure Jenna’s ruffling your hair, and yeah – this is probably one of the best birthdays you’ve ever had, because you’d woken up to Asami in a unicorn party hat, because you’d had cake for breakfast, because you’d Skyped your parents tangled between Asami’s arms and legs on the couch, because you’re surrounded by your friends.

You’re 19, so young and the oldest you’ve yet been, and life is terrifyingly full of possibilities and absolutely wondrous, and you are loved and in love.

And then Jinora brings you a beer, and Kai raises a shot at you, fist-bumping Asami for opening a tab for all of them, and you tug her into another quick kiss, just because. And if you’re tearing up a tiny bit, well, it’s not really your fault.

There’s too many of you to pile into one booth, but you all try anyway, and it’s surprisingly not that uncomfortable to be half-hanging off the seat with Asami sitting on your leg, one arm around your shoulders, laughing brightly against your forehead. It doesn’t take long before Opal leads Bolin off to the jukebox though, and then they do the twist, laughing the whole time. You hoot at them though, because they’re also wearing these slightly serious expressions, and they’re just really cute.

And then Jenna waggles her eyebrows at you, and okay, you’ve only ever injected that move into your pre-game pump-up routine _twice_ , it’s not a thing. But she hops out of the booth and flourishes towards the dance floor, and Asami’s laughing and gently pushing you towards Jenna and – fine, maybe it’s kind of a thing.

You make it through ‘Let’s Twist Again’ and a dramatic re-enactment of ‘You’re the One That I Want’ with Jenna before her boyfriend joins you, and you dance really cheesily to ‘Jailhouse Rock’ before you hit a slow song you don’t know – something about smoke and true love – and you very seriously join Jenna and Armin’s hands together and bow out, an exaggerated pout on your face.

You spot Jinora at the counter, and you hug her tightly, thank her again for the TOMS she and Kai had gotten for you, and she pats your head affectionately, and then you do a jägerbomb each, mostly because you really like dropping the shot glass into the bigger glass.

By the time you both make it back to the booth, Amy and Andy have gone off to join Jenna and Armin on the dance-floor, but Bolin and Opal are back and sort of blearily watching this rapid-fire, really intense conversation between Kai and Asami, and you’re pretty sure you catch the words ‘synthetic’, ‘self-generating’, and ‘biodegradable’. You slide into the booth beside Asami and steal a few of Bolin’s nachos, sliding your other hand over Asami’s thigh. She jerks slightly, but then she turns and grins at you, and Kai laughs.

“Hey, Korra, did we ever tell you how we met?”

And you shake your head, because Asami had only off-handedly mentioned meeting Kai before she’d started kissing you, hard, and then you’d been too distracted to ask, and later on you’d forgotten.

But they seem to get on really well, and you figured it’s probably because they’re both massive nerds.

Asami laughs, and then – you’re sort of paying attention and sort of not, because you’re a little bit distracted by Asami’s eyelashes fluttering in the dim booth light – you discover that their first meeting had involved Kai literally running into Asami, a wayward bagel, spilled coffee, and Kai nervously name-dropping yours and Jinora’s names. But then Asami had taken Kai out for coffee and they’d talked about her University of Republic City dissertation that Kai had bookmarked for three years.

You beam at Asami, reach for her hand under the table, because she’s so good and she doesn’t even seem to realise, and because your friends are her friends too, and it’s just really, really great.

And then you’re not sure which angel put on ‘Walking On Sunshine’, but you’d kiss them if you didn’t want to kiss Asami so badly right then, and she doesn’t even protest when you pull her up to dance with you. You know you’ve got a really goofy smile on your face, but you don’t really care – you only almost accidentally kick her _once_ when you flail to the chorus, and she joins in pretty quickly, swinging you around and laughing really freely.

She’s panting a tiny bit when the song ends, and when you hear a familiar rhythm start, Asami glances around slightly shiftily and shoots you a quick look, and you’re a little confused, but then she starts bopping her head and shoulders, her eyes trained on you.

And then Asami Sato is mouthing the words to ‘Take On Me’ at you, pulling her leather jacket off around her shoulders, and your friends are cheering behind you, and it’s quite possibly the best birthday ever.

Asami’s blushing by the time the song finishes, but she laughs into your ear when you wrap your arms around her hips, lift her up and spin her around, and when you kiss her, she’s warm and sweet and she doesn’t taste like smoke at all.

/ 

Korra has her arms folded and there’s a slight frown on her face that you can see from where you parked, so you quickly lock your helmet to your bike and stroll over with a wave, but her face just scrunches up slightly and she raises an eyebrow up at you expectantly. You feel a little worried, but you’re pretty sure it’s not your anniversary of any significant dates, but you flash Jinora a quick, pleading look anyway.

Jinora just shrugs and tousles Korra’s hair before walking off, but she also smacks you lightly on the butt as she passes, so you figure you’re probably not in that much trouble? Maybe.

You slide an arm around Korra’s waist, press a quick kiss to her ear, and she softens into your side with a small sigh, greeting you with a strained, “Hey.”

“Hey, cutie. Did I – is something wrong?”

Korra rolls her eyes a little, but she just tugs on your hand and you start walking towards Operator25 around the corner, because she’d been craving sweet potato wedges, and honestly, you’d felt kind of excited at the prospect of their new roasted carrot and broccoli salad.

“You know you weren’t late, right?” Korra says casually after a few steps.

“I know that,” you say cautiously, and your heart beats a little faster, because you get the feeling that you know where this conversation is going, and you don’t really want to have this argument again.

Korra just sighs again, pointedly this time, but she doesn’t say anything else.

You settle into a silence that’s not exactly uncomfortable, and Korra absently plays with your fingers as you walk, but you feel a small pit of anxiety settle somewhere in your empty stomach anyway.

And then your favourite waitress, Dana, asks if you want your usual spot in the smoking area and you say yes, because the weather’s really nice that morning, and you kind of love how clean the cool air feels in your lungs.

Korra clears her throat, but she sits down beside the potted plant anyway, which you’d previously calculated is where she’s most sheltered from the other smokers, although currently there’s only one couple sitting two tables away from you, and neither of them look like they’re going to be sucking at anything besides each other’s faces for now.

Korra gets the pulled pork burger with sweet potato wedges, and then she gets a hot chocolate, and when she gets foam on her lip you brush it away with your thumb and suck at it slightly, with earns you an eye roll and a quick smile.

You’re starting to feel really relieved by the time Korra only has a few chips left to finish when she suddenly wrinkles her nose and gags, staring off at a point behind your shoulders, and when you turn around, you see that the couple behind you has actually parted, and they’re sitting back in their seats, smoking.

You turn back to Korra, an apology on your tongue, but what comes out instead is, “We can leave now if you want.”

And then Korra _sniffs_ really obviously and lets out a few really deliberate stifled coughs, and you sort of cringe a little, even though she’s still not looking at you.

“Korra,” you start, but you’re not really sure where you’re going with that.

She looks back at you, her shoulders dropping abruptly, and she looks so tired when she quietly says, “What?” and you feel your throat seize up a little.

“Nothing.”

Korra looks up at you for a few seconds, and then she leans back, her arms crossed, and she just says, “I should get back. I have a bunch of readings I need to catch up on before next week.”

You get the bill quietly, and you just look down when Dana comes to collect the bill and asks if everything was good.

Korra smiles sweetly up at her, and you swallow hard when she says, “Everything was fine, thank you.”

.

**Asami <3 (1:39 pm)**: how’re the readings going?  
 **Korra (1:58 pm):** They’re going, so it’s not too bad  
 **Asami <3 (2:02 pm): **i have an hour break – should i call or are you busy?  
 **Korra (2:16 pm):** Sorry, I should probably just finish this  
 **Korra (2:20 pm):** Maybe later though  
 **Asami <3 (2:22 pm):** okay, let me know  
 **Asami <3 (5:50 pm): **love you  
 **Korra (6:08 pm):** love you too

. 

By the time you get back from the really long shower you’d taken after your run hadn’t done anything to make you feel less stressed, Jinora’s reclining on her bed, her laptop sitting on her chest, her earphones firmly plugged in her ears.

You’re still dripping water a little bit, and when you glance at your phone, you roll your eyes, because it’s 8.23pm, which explains the open window and the sweet-smoke smell that’s beginning to fade.

“Jinora,” you whine, dropping down onto the floor next to her bed, and she lazily tugs one earphone out, dropping one hand to your head and scratching lightly.

“What’s up, buttercup? Is this still about Asami?”

You sigh, because you’d mouthed off about motorcycles and speed limits and recklessness already that morning. You nod, feeling her hand bounce on the top of your head a little.

You sit there for a bit, and Jinora doesn’t really say anything for a while, but then she takes a huge breath, and you’re expecting some words of wisdom to fall from her lips, but then all she does is let it out _really_ slowly.

“Jinora,” you whine again, pushing at her hand with your head. Her scratching is kind of soothing, but it’s not really helping in the way you want.

“You know what you have to do, right?” Jinora says, pulling her other earphone out and setting her laptop aside before sloppily turning onto her side.

You turn around and perch over the edge of her bed, hastily re-tucking your towel back together.

“What?”

“Talk to her,” Jinora says simply.

You groan, and Jinora smiles widely at you. “Seriously?”

“ _Duh_ , Korra.”

You sigh, because you kind of knew this already, and you push yourself off the floor and change into sweatpants and a t-shirt, and when you turn around, Jinora hasn’t turned around or looked away, and she’s just smiling at you really calmly.

“Did you just watch me change?” you ask, eyebrows raised. Like, she’s seen you naked before – you may have accidentally dropped your towel a couple of times when you’d started texting Asami back a little too enthusiastically before you got changed – so it’s not really a big deal.

Jinora just shrugs, still lying on one shoulder, and you laugh, because Jinora resembles no one so much as The Caterpillar right now.

“Do you wanna watch Bob’s Burgers? Season 2 just started again. It might make you feel better.” Jinora still sounds really calm, but then she claps excitedly just once, and you grin.

“Sure.”

Halfway through the episode though, Jinora presses pause, and then she stands up and carefully puts her laptop on her desk before turning to you.

“I have to pee,” she announces, and then she walks out of your room.

You grab your phone and lie back down on Jinora’s bed, and you’re holding it above your head, thumbs poised over the keyboard, when shes comes back in, and you just sigh and lock your phone without sending anything.

And then Jinora’s reaching over you to grab the edge of the blanket on your right, which she tucks under your left side, and then she grabs the left end and tugs slightly, and with a bit of struggling, she manages to tuck it under your right side. You start chortling when she grabs the bottom end of the blanket to tuck over the two ends, but then she flicks at your leg, because apparently it’s hard to fully wrap you in a burrito when you keep wriggling.

You keep laughing though, especially when she yanks at the top end of her blanket and then huffs, because there isn’t quite enough blanket to cover your head properly.

Instead you feel a pillow very gently descend onto your face, and through it, you hear Jinora’s muffled voice very seriously saying, “I’m hungry. We should get waffles. You eat waffles, right?”

. 

**Asami <3 (9:24 am): **hey i’m driving over – maybe we can go to the burger place for lunch if you’re not doing anything after? good luck at your match, i love you so much  
 **Korra (9:47 am):** YEAH THAT SOUNDS GOOD SEEYA AFTER :)))  <33


End file.
